Dual-wavelength switchable single-mode lasing from a lanthanide-doped resonator

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Materials Science
• Integrated Photonics
• Nanocrystal Engineering

Background:

• Multi-wavelength lasing with wide spectral tuning is crucial for integrated photonic devices, enabling dynamic switching, high spectral purity, and contrast.
• Current methods face challenges in achieving broad, switchable lasing ranges with single-mode operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a general strategy for dynamically switchable single-mode lasing spanning a record spectral range.
• To achieve wavelength tuning beyond 300 nm through simultaneous design of electronic and optical states.

Main Methods:

• Integrating reversely designed nanocrystals with two size-mismatched coupled microcavities.
• Employing collective control of asymmetric excitation and excitation wavelength for crosstalk-free operation.
• Experimental validation of the proposed strategy.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated dynamically switchable single-mode lasing spanning over 300 nm, a record range.
• Achieved crosstalk-free violet-to-red single-mode lasing behavior.
• Observed persistent single-mode action over a wide power range with significant enhancement compared to microdisk lasers.

Conclusions:

• The proposed strategy enables a general approach for the reverse design of luminescent materials for advanced photonic applications.
• The results highlight the potential for new opportunities in frontier applications due to remarkable doping flexibility.
• This work advances the development of integrated photonic devices with enhanced spectral control and functionality.